World No.117 Upsets Diego Schwartzman to Reach Maiden Quarter-Finals at US Open 2021

It was an exciting first week for tennis fans across the world with the US Open exceeding expectations with many higher ranked players making their mark by defeating top seeds. Botic Van de Zandschulp, who made it to the fourth round in New York after battling past the qualifier rounds, outlasted Diego Schwartzman to reach his first-ever grand slam quarter finals.

In a tightly contested match between the two, it was the Dutch who pushed Schwartzman with his incredible all-round play. Playing Van de Zandschulp for the first time, the Argentinian had to take time to settle into the match. Both the players engaged in intense baseline rallies throughout the contest.

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Diego Schwartzman was defeated by Botic Van de Zandschulp in a five-set thriller at the US Open

But, it was Van de Zandschulp who managed to win a major chunk of these baseline exchanges against the eleventh seed. Possessing a fluid forehand that disrupts any opponent’s momentum, the rising Dutch tennis player dominated Schwartzman to take the first two sets 6-3,6-4.

Even in the third set, Zandschulp got a quick lead of 4-2 and looked confident enough of closing out the match. But, Schwartzman wasn’t the type of player to give up after being a break down. The Argentinian used his experience to bounce back and level the score at 4-4 in the set.

The pressure of reaching a first grand slam quarter-final might have been the reason for Zandschulp’s dip in form in the latter stages of the third set as he allowed Schwartzman to take control and win the set, 7-5.

For most parts of the match, Zandschulp was a better player as he outpowered Schwartzman with his all-round game. But, the Dutch player felt the nerves taking the better off him during the latter stages of third and fourth sets. As the Argentinian was serving to stay in the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, Zandschulp had two match points but made back-to-back forehand errors and allowed Schwartzman back in the game.

As a result, Schwartzman used his experience to stay in the contest by breaking Zandschulp’s immediate service game and went on to win the fourth set, 7-5.

Heading into the final set, it appeared as if Diego Schwartzman might have the upper hand over Zandschulp. But, the fifth set had a different story written to it. After breaking the Argentinian’s service game, Van de Zandschulp didn’t allow him to bounce back and managed to win a couple of close service games.

Despite being clearly nervous at big moments, the Dutch player held his serve in the seventh game and won the match, 6-3,6-4,5-7,5-7, 6-1 in an epic battle that lasted for more than 4 hours. Van de Zandschulp will next face Daniil Medvedev in the US Open quarters.

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